PEORIA — The Louisville Slugger Sports Complex has received City Council approval.

That doesn’t necessarily mean every council member approved of how the process transpired.

In a series of 11 votes Tuesday night, the council granted assent to various aspects of the proposed $33 million youth-sports complex in Northwest Peoria. Those included land-use and zoning changes the city Planning and Zoning commissions approved last week.

Also among the council decisions was framework for a self-taxing mechanism developers are to use to repay $9.6 million in bonds the city plans to issue for the project. Those involve hotels they own or are planning near the complex site, along Orange Prairie Road north of War Memorial Drive.

Ground probably will break in late spring, project manager Andy Paulson said following the votes. A 125,000-square-foot dome for indoor sports is expected to open in late November or early December.

The remainder of the 10 bat-and-ball-diamond complex is to open in spring 2015.

“Certainly, this now allows us to move forward more aggressively,” Paulson said. “Not only with Louisville Slugger, but other organizations that we’re looking to partner with.”

Each council vote was 10-1 in favor. At-large Councilwoman Beth Akeson was the only dissenter.

“I’m not against development. I’m not against sports,” Akeson said. “I come from a family of sports enthusiasts. But this particular concept in this location is not ideal.”

Akeson cited the size of the 85-foot-high dome, as well as noise and traffic that might affect residents of the Timberbrook subdivision across the street. She also disapproved of a project that was contrary to the city’s comprehensive plan, approved in 2011, which called for residential zoning in that area.

“Why are we spending money to produce these documents when the plan can be discarded?” Akeson said.

But some council members who supported the project also expressed mild objections.

At-large representative Chuck Weaver criticized an introductory news conference last December that apparently took some council members by surprise.

“In the future, developers need to be very careful we’ve had a chance to look at things,” Weaver said.

At-large colleague Beth Jensen concurred. She also said the input of project neighbors needed to be solicited much earlier in the process.

Paulson said neighborhood feedback gathered during a public forum last month was incorporated into the project’s final plan. That incorporation included adjustments regarding noise levels.

Another adjustment came in the past few days. In the northwest corner of the complex, which is closest to Timberbrook houses, developers are to install a 4-foot berm topped by trees at least 8 to 10 feet tall. The intent is to mitigate noise and light.

Page 2 of 2 - Uncertainty about the height and feasibility of a berm had been a point of contention during the Planning and Zoning meetings.

“The process did what it was supposed to do,” Paulson said.

The six Timberbrook residents who addressed the council Tuesday might not agree. All opposed the project.

Mayor Jim Ardis acknowledged the process wasn’t perfect. But he also suggested this project might not be far from perfection.

“Other communities in this area would leap backwards to have a project like this in their city,” Ardis said. “I’m not hanging my head for an instant about this vote. I don’t think there’s anything to be ashamed of.

“If this meeting was held in other communities in the area, there would be applause instead of people feeling guilty for voting yes.”

Nick Vlahos can be reached at 686-3285 or nvlahos@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @VlahosNick.